Need advice on noindex tag

Hi All,

I could really use some help. I had search console index all of the internal pages on my website. I thought it would be an improvement over just being crawled. Now they are all tagged as canonical. I had my main page ranking at about 40 for my top targeted keyword (work in progress.) Now, my blog is ranking 26th for the keyword and my main page isn't in the top 100. Basically, I blew it. I need the main page ranking as it is a lead generating keyword for my business. Is adding a noindex tag to my internal pages and resubmitting my main url for indexing the way to fix this? Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

Why do you want to deindex indexed pages ???? Surprised for me ..... If you are ranking well for your targeted keywords, does not matter home page or inner pages .... its good sign for you. I think you should check your home page structure, contents etc., because if google is not indexing your home page and indexing inner pages ... it means there are not informative contents according keywords or there are some other issues.

 

That's a good question, it's because my main page is designed to convert traffic in to leads. My blog has no information on my business or calls to action, etc. It's just a few blogs and my top nav. So if it is ranking instead of main page, it is going to kill my conversion ratio.

 

Why deindex the pages? It would never be a solution to rank any page by deindexing other pages.
As you said it was ranking before but currently the ranking disappeared, so it could be for various reasons but no index tag won't help you with this. Before doing anything you should figure out why it is happening.

 

Do not deindex the pages that already have been indexed and ranked on SERPs. All you have to do to is redevelop it and rewrite the content of your main page so it could be more informative and engaging which can have a positive impact on search engine and conversion rates.
Also, fix all the technical issues which block your page from ranking or indexing. You can also write about some of your services or products or call to action on blog posts and link it to the home page.

 

My opinion is that this is not a concerning topic. You can index main homepage by making some high quality backlinks or by going to Quest posts. Your problem will be resolved, I hope.

 

Firstly, it's great to see you're actively working on your website's SEO. It's a journey with ups and downs, so don't be too hard on yourself for this hiccup.

Your situation seems to be a common issue with canonical tags and how search engines interpret them. Canonical tags help search engines understand which pages are duplicates or very similar and indicate the preferred version to be indexed. However, if not implemented carefully, they can lead to unintended ranking changes.

Here's what you might consider:

1. Review Your Canonical Tags: Ensure that your canonical tags on the blog pages point to your main page only if they are truly duplicates or very similar content. If they are unique, they should self-canonicalize.
   
   
2. Noindex Tag Caution: Adding a noindex tag to your internal pages is a drastic step. This tells search engines not to index these pages at all, which could lead to a loss of valuable SEO if these pages have good content.
   
   
3. Content Strategy: Focus on building unique, high-quality content tailored to your top-targeted keyword on your main page. This can increase its relevance and ranking potential.
   
   
4. Internal Linking: Strengthen internal linking. Ensure your blog posts and other internal pages link to your main page with appropriate anchor texts. This can help distribute page authority and signal the importance of your main page.
   
   
5. Resubmit Sitemap: Resubmit your sitemap to the Google Search Console after making changes. This doesn't speed up the process but ensures Google is aware of the changes.
   
   
6. Patience: SEO adjustments often take time to reflect in search rankings. Monitor the changes over a few weeks to understand their impact.
   

Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about making continuous improvements and adjustments. Your proactive approach is already a step in the right direction.